The Underground Railroad has become legendary as the network that carried enslaved people to freedom in Canada. What is less known is its strong connection to Brantford. By the mid to late 1800s, much of the city’s early African American community was made up of Freedom Seekers who had escaped slavery in the United States. Many came from southern states such as Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. Once here, Canadian abolitionists helped newcomers find employment, and in some cases, supported them in starting their own businesses.

Two of these men were Stepney Brown and John W. Dungy. Brown arrived in 1859 and was later joined by Dungy in 1860. Both men received support from local abolitionists William Still and James A. Walkinshaw at different points in their journeys. Dungy eventually ran his own barbershop in Brantford and encouraged other Freedom Seekers to settle in the city, promising “good chances of business.” 

The S.R. Drake Memorial Church on Murray Street, where many formerly enslaved people worshipped, became a cornerstone of the community. Today, the church is recognized as an Ontario Heritage Site, a lasting reminder of Brantford’s role as a place of refuge and opportunity.